Home Articles Australian Open Hawk-eye: Big Impact at Crucial Moments
Hawk-eye: Big Impact at Crucial Moments
Saturday, 29 January 2011 01:33

by Kelvin Goodchild

SM_WAWRINKA_AO2011_D7_0101. Men’s Singles – Quarter-final: Roger Federer (2) Vs Stanislas Wawrinka (19)

Point in Match: 6-1, 6-3, 3-0; 40-15, Wawrinka Serving

Detail: Wawrinka has a brain freeze choosing to leave a Federer forehand. The line judge calls it out but on a Federer challenge it proves to be in by ten centimetres. You would have thought the umpire would have spotted such an error.


These sorts of calls would have had players like John McEnroe steaming in the past. In 2011 a potentially volatile situation is easily neutralised with the aid of Hawk-eye’s cameras.

Wawrinka still went on to win the game but his poor decision to leave a ball that was clearly in – even to the crowd - was embarrassingly exposed and couldn’t have done his ego any good.

2. Women’s Singles – Quarter-final: Caroline Wozniacki (1) Vs Francesca Schiavone (6)

Point in Match: 3-6, 6-3, 5-3; Ad-40, Wozniacki serving

Detail: After taking the first set, the Italian’s energy reserves had been slowly eroded away by the Dane, who was moving the Italian from side-to-side. On match point Schiavone tries to paint the line with a backhand cross-court but narrowly misses, the line judge calling it out.

With nothing to lose the 30-year-old asks for Hawk-eye’s opinion but the technology verifies the original decision and Schiavone has lost the match. You can’t get a more pivotal point than match point and had her challenge been successful it could have altered the women’s draw in a big way.

3. Men’s Singles – Quarter-final: Andy Murray (5) Vs Alexandr DolgopolovSM_DOLGOPOLOV_AO2011_D10__003

Point in match: 7-5, 6-3, 5-6; 40-30, Murray serving

Detail: The Scot is serving to stay in the set. A heavily top-spun forehand by the Ukrainian looks to have landed on the baseline. But, the scot is hawk-eyed himself and calls on the technology to check the linesman’s call. It is out and the set heads into a tie-break situation.

This is a clutch point and Hawk-eye is employed to great effect by Murray extending the set and testing the patience of Dolgopolov.


FM_HAWKEYE_AO2011_D9_0014. Men’s Singles – Semifinal: Roger Federer (2) Vs Novak Djokovic (3)

Point in match: 6-7, 5-7, 1-0; Ad-40, Djokovic serving

Detail: Federer has a natural instinct when it comes to balls being out or in. Trailing by two sets, he needs to start making things happen early in the third set. Out of nowhere he has a chance to break Djokovic’s first service game in the decider.

Forcing the pace, he belts a winner but it is called out. He challenges and Hawk-eye finds in his favour. A successful challenge can boost a player’s spirit and that is what happened here. However, the positive vibes were short lived as the Serbian unleashed an Ace in the replayed point.

5. Men’s Singles – Semi-final: Andy Murray (5) Vs David Ferrer (7)

Point in match: 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-6; 2-0 (tie-break), Murray serving

Detail: Ferrer is grasping at anything to stay in the match. His forehand winner is called wide and he challenges the call immediately. Whether this challenge was more in hope than conviction we will never know, but he is correct, the shot is in by a finger nail.

The point is replayed and Ferrer wins it; the tie-break is back on serve. That’s a huge sigh of relief from the Spaniard. It shows how critical a point can be and how much influence Hawk-eye can have on a match.

 
 

Web Design & SEO by EDAN Designs